Just like a human being can’t pass a work of art without offering a comment, it’s seemingly impossible for anyone who cares about fashion to not hunch down in front of the TV on Oscar night and decry the horrors or swoon over the successes trotted out by the stars and their entourages.
I am in that number, and while I’ll be providing “color commentary” from an image consultant’s point of view on Oscars hits and misses–and why they worked or didn’t– for LAMB (Large Association of Movie Bloggers) check it out!, I’d also love to present for your viewing pleasure a few of Oscar’s oddest acceptance attire moments. (For sheer Oscar night perfection, you can’t beat Audrey and Grace, waiting in the dressing room at the 28th Academy Awards night or Olivia and Vivien gossiping merrily!)
What do you mean, “I won” ?
We’ll start with one of my favorite actresses, Claudette Colbert (to learn more about this very French, very lovely lady, click here ). Claudette was so certain that she didn’t win the 1935 “Best Actress” for her turn as the spoiled rich brat in Frank Capra’s marvelous It Happened One Night that she boarded a train bound for New York on the night of the 7thAcademy Awards. In fact, she confessed to friends that she had “just finished the worst picture in the world”…she disliked her co-star (that hateful Clark Gable—poor girl!), the script, the whole experience!
Well, surprise, surprise. When word came she’d won, she hustled back to LA in her wool travel suit, trademark beret, and sumptuous mink. She was still wearing this very decidedly daytime ensemble when she accepted her golden statuette from one of the world’s most popular actresses, Shirley Temple.
Interestingly enough, Claudette and Shirley (with Jennifer Jones) were reunited in one of my favorite homefront epics, 1944’s Since You Went Away.
Miss Crawford feels unwell
In 1946, Joan Crawford was up for Best Actress for her performance as the angst-riddled noir classic Mildred Pierce…And boy, did she have some competition!
Ingrid Bergman in Bells of St Mary’s…
Gene Tierney for Leave Her to Heaven…
Jennifer Jones for Love Letters…
and Greer Garson for The Valley of Decision.
Joan reported after the fact that she was “I was afraid of losing. The tension is so terrible when you’re sitting there waiting. You have to look composed…I’d be so nervous I couldn’t bear it. Then, when you lose, and I was certain I would; you have to sit there wearing your best face. The only thing worse than losing was winning. I would have to go up on stage and make a speech as myself. I fretted so much that I couldn’t sleep at night. I could scarcely eat and I developed a temperature. My doctor said I had to go to bed and rest. There were people who thought I just lied. I could never have done that.” Well, ladies and gents, she won and her first (and only) Oscar came to her!
Cameras recorded her genuine and obvious glee at winning as she sat in her bed, clad in a frothy bed jacket, her freckles on display, her lips nicely rouged. “You can’t imagine what receiving my Oscar meant to me. I had always wanted to win one and I treasure mine.” (Can’t hear enough about Joan? Check out these features from the Movie Star Makeover archives: Joan’s early career and her dedication to always looking her best.)
Audrey’s alteration
Our next offbeat Oscar moment features one of the world’s most celebrated beauties, Audrey Hepburn. Let’s join her for her win, shall we? Here’s a grand little clip from You Tube, showing the 1954 Oscars…get a load of the amazing line-up. I could watch this over and over for several reasons: Donald O’Connor’s delightful wit. Gary Cooper’s shambling charm. But, oh, how I’m entranced by Audrey’s fawnlike grace and radiant glow!
Once you recover from the glamour, you may be thinking, gee, Audrey, what’s with the heavy-duty maquillage? (Love this photo of Audrey backstage, applying her own make-up!)
Well, Audrey had just wrapped up a performance on Broadway as the water-sprite “Ondine” and hadn’t even time to remove her theatrical makeup–she accepted the award in New York, practically sprinting from backstage to on-stage.
If we can quibble with her makeup, we certainly can’t say anything about that gorgeous dress. Look closer. Does it look familiar?? If you’re a Roman Holiday fan, it might.
It’s a rework of an Edith Head design that was created for the final scene in the film, when Princess Anne revokes her romance with the astoundingly yummy Gregory Peck and resumes her royal duties. Audrey “Givenchy-fied” the dress, having the staid bodice transformed (not unlike her Funny Face duck-to-swan transmogrifications) from stodgy blouse to string-strapped, boat-necked wonder (incidentally, it’s the only time a dress has been worn both in the catagory film and for the awards ceremony!). Want to learn more about the eternally chic Edith Head? Dive into my exclusive 4-part series: Edith Headquarters!
Audrey looked sensational in what she called her “lucky dress,” and gave it to her mother after the ceremony, who in turn presented it to an American friend, who in turn stored it in a box (!!!) and put it up for auction this past November. It sold to a private collector for £84,000 (a lot of money). (Love Audrey? Read more about her here.)
No sickbeds for Liz
Elizabeth Taylor, gorgeous as always, accepted her Oscar for her performance as a free-spirited, but doomed working girl in Butterfield 8, impeccably gowned in a bouffant Dior dress (with accompanying bouffant hair). Her attire in the marvelously styish film was slightly less formal.
She whispered her thank yous, two hours after fainting backstage and 6 weeks after an emergency tracheotomy.Eagle-eyed viewers can easily spot the scar in this clip. If Eddie Fisher looks worried below, he should.
Throat-closing pneumonia necessitated Liz’s operation, which occured during the filming of the lumbering Cleopatra. During that long hot summer, Liz alternated rolling herself up in carpets as the Queen of the Nile and making whoopie with Richard Burton. The world watched with drooling delight the complicated dance done by Richard, Eddie Fisher (whom Liz had *just* snatched from Debbie Reynolds)…
…and Her Friskiness, the Queen of De-Nile.
Imagine just how painful it must have been for Eddie to play the type-cast role of the duped boyfriend-cum-family member in Butterfield 8–you can see his shame and discomfort in every reel. The film was rushed into production to capitalize on the lip-smacking scandal around the Liz-and-Dick romance. The actress who plays Eddie’s “real” girlfriend was cast partially on the basis of her resemblance to Debbie Reynolds. Really. See for yourself!
You’re wearing WHAT?
Everyone has their favorite “you’ve got to be kidding” red carpet faux-pas spotting. A fine candidate for the “really?” file: Bette Davis accepting her Oscar for 1935’s Dangerous in an anything-but number that Mayberry’s Aunt Bea would immortalize years later. This sad outfit was nicely accessorized by schoolmarmy hair and, apparently, no makeup. (Want to see her accept that award? Click here.)
One has to believe that once Bette got a gander at this outfit on the newsreels, she decided to listen to her girlfriends, who no doubt advised her to wear something a bit glammier next time around. When she won again, 3 years later, for Jezebel, she tuned up her look and possibly set the stage for Bjork’s famous Oscar eyesore. ((PS: I’ve just been informed that Bette wore her dishwashing outfit to show solidarity during a Hollywood writer’s strike. (see comments)…I think that’s swell of her! What I still wonder, though, is why she wore a collar that happened to have a dress attached. It’s rather evident, isn’t it, that some actresses and actors owe a lot of their allure to the dedication of the studio’s hired guns in Wardrobe and Make-Up!))
I’ll admit it: I’m a hopeless sucker for Oscars night. I don’t care how awful the jokes, how lame the host(ess), how turgid the endless musical numbers, how unfair the awards. I don’t care. I just love to watch the beautiful people, smiling as they clasp a dream in their hands, their hearts swelling with joy and eyes glowing with happiness, just as mine do when I’m watching the movies I love.
This post is proudly part of The 31 Days of Oscar Blogathon. Enjoy more accounts of Academy Award-winning tales here.
